At the time of the outbreak of the all-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Japanese army had a total of 17 permanent divisions and regiments, numbered 1-17, of which 12 permanent divisions and regiments directly participated in the war of aggression against China in China.
Generally speaking, these 17 permanent divisions and regiments are Japanese divisions and regiments with strong combat effectiveness, and in addition, there are also such special divisions and regiments as they have also shown considerable combat effectiveness in the war of aggression against China.
Next, we will discuss the combat strength of the Japanese army invading China, and see which units can be called the first echelon divisions, which are the second echelon divisions, and which are the third echelon divisions through actual combat examples.
Personally, I think it is a permanent division of the first class, and two other ad hoc divisions and regiments.
The 4th Division mainly participated in the war of aggression against China.
1. In the Second Battle of Changsha, judging from the actual combat capability displayed, the 4th Division, nicknamed the "Merchant Division" in Osaka, was much weaker than the 3rd and 6th Divisions, which were also permanent divisions.
As the main force of the Japanese army, the 16th Division participated in the Battle of Songhu, the Battle of Nanjing, and the Battle of Xuzhou.
The 17th Division is relatively not mentioned at a high rate, and there must be a certain reason why it is the last permanent division of the Japanese army.
With the successive transfer of many elite divisions to the Pacific Theater, the 68th Division and the 116th Division participated in the Battle of Changde, the Battle of Hengyang, and the Battle of Xiangxi as the main force in the middle and late stages of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression by virtue of their strong offensive capabilities.
In this echelon, it may be the first four permanent divisions, as well as the 18th division, which is an ad hoc division, can also be among them.
The 9th Division participated in large-scale battles such as Songhu, Nanjing, Xuzhou, and Wuhan, showing strong combat effectiveness, and was later transferred to the Pacific Theater, which also made it difficult for the Allies in the Battle of Okinawa.
The 10th Division, one of its Seya detachments, made a lot of noise in the Battle of Taierzhuang, and although it was finally repelled by several elite armies of Tang Enbo's department, it had already highlighted its extraordinary combat effectiveness.
The 13th Division was developed from the 1st Division of the 2nd Division and participated in almost all the large-scale battles in the Chinese theater. The two battles that can better reflect the combat strength of the 13th Division are Chen Cheng** Yichang in 1940 and the Battle of Changde in 1943.
In the Battle of Yichang, the 13th Division withstood the fierce attack of more than 100,000 people of Chen Cheng's army to ensure that Yichang was not lost; In the Battle of Changde, the 13th Division and the 3rd Division joined forces to block the main force of Wang Yaowu's troops who tried to rescue Changde, making it impossible to approach Changde at all.
The combat power of the 14th Division, just one example is enough to illustrate the problem: in the Battle of Lanfeng, the 120,000 people of Xue Yue's corps (basically including the elite troops of the Kuomintang army at that time) could not eat the 14th Division of only more than 20,000 people, so there is no need to say anything else, right?
As for the 18th Division, it played a ruthless role in the Battle of Guangzhou, Malaya, Singapore, and Burma, and although it was completely annihilated by the Indian army in Burma, it could not deny its existence as the second echelon combat division of the Japanese army.
Personally, I think that the 1st Division of the Japanese Army could be included in this position.
The 2nd Division did not appear much on the battlefield in China, but it can be inferred from the combat power of its sub-division, the 13th Division, that it should not be a good stubble.
The 3rd and 6th divisions were almost the same.
IX. Sixth, the elite troops of the fifth and third theaters have all fought each other, especially in the Battle of Wuhan and the Second Battle of Changsha, and they have been able to succeed almost every time, and it may not be an exaggeration to use two horses to defeat the Japanese troops in combat strength.
The 5th Division is even more special, fighting from North China to East China and then to South China, although it has also "knelt" several times in Pingxingguan, Linyi, Taierzhuang, and Kunlun Pass, but its strength is still enough to rank among the first gradient divisions.
Discussing the combat strength of the Japanese divisions and regiments, even if they are said to be relatively strong, is a conclusion drawn on the basis of facts, and does not mean to be prestigious.
The reason is very clear, the ending is very clear, no matter how strong the Japanese army is, in the end, it will not be annihilated and defeated by the vast number of our soldiers and civilians? This shows that we are stronger!